Cherry Blossom Tears
by Lost Ninja
Summary: Sakura's murder shook the lives of many-but she's not really gone. She has become Death, and she will not stop until she sees blood. I think there might be a bit or Naru/Ino in this but I'm not sure yet so... yeah!
1. Chapter 1

Two years ago:

I crept towards the edge of the roof, tempting the wind to blow me off as I watched black-clad figures move slowly through the empty streets. "Sakura..." I tested the name, but it no longer felt like my own. Sakura was dead; Sasuke had made sure of it.

Black robes shifting in the breeze, muffled sobs behind ANBU masks, distant thunder rumbling through the ominous grey sky, and the shuffling of feet was all that could be heard on the day that changed the lives of many; March 19, the day of the funeral.

Tsunade cleared her throat and stepped onto the platform, training her features into a mask of professionalism. "Today we mourn the loss of not only Konoha's prized medic, but a friend, a student, a rival, and a teammate," she began. "In memory of the beloved Haruno Sakura, our light, our friend, and our hope for the future, I was asked to prepare a speech. I cannot begin to express how much she meant to me, and I know many of you feel the same... But she would not have wanted us to cry... She does not want revenge, she does not want sorrow... Sakura does not want us to kill Uchiha Sasuke."

A collective silence took over the large crowd-practically half Konoha's available shinobi-before the cries of outrage began. Tsunade waited through it all, holding herself as the leader of a village should but feeling dirty at her inability to properly mourn her student's death. Now that Sakura was gone, she didn't have anyone, but she was still the hokage, and she was still going to act like it whether she wanted to or not.

A sweet voice rose above the rest to gain her attention. "Hokage-sama." She turned her head to acknowledge Hinata, much to her surprise. "Correct me if I misheard, but are you ordering us to let the man who killed our friend get away with it?" Was it just her or did she look... Almost a little angry?

"No, you heard her correctly," growled an irritated Shikamaru before she could reply. "She wants us to forgive the Uchiha." He turned a criticizing glare toward the hokage. "Did you love Sakura?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Did I love Sakura?"

He repeated himself, louder this time. "Did. You. Love. Sakura."

Tsunade was offended he felt the need to ask such a question. "More than the world itself," was her convincing reply. "And I still do." She didn't feel the need to state that she would kill every last person standing in front of her if it meant getting her Sakura back.

His entire body tensed before he snapped, tears shining in the lazy boy's deep brown eyes. "Then why the **_hell_** would you tell us to let him live?" He shouted, sending the birds flying into the darkening sky. People Tsunade had never met began to shout in agreement, their voices filling the cool air with an unbearable amount of noise.

"Silence," she commanded, "Be mindful of your location. We came here to thank the light of our lives for living," a growl vibrated in her chest. "And we came to thank her for being braver than every single one of you disrespectful cowards and giving up her LIFE to keep us safe. And if we send more shinobi to go kill Sasuke, there's no telling how many would come back. We can't risk other's lives over a choice she made herself." Damn... it felt horrible to say that...

A few ashamed citizens and shinobi alike cast their gaze to the ground while an enraged Shikimaru continued to snarl in displeasure. She'd never seen the boy so worked up. Did Hinata just glare at her? When all was quiet, she started again.

"I'm in a state of shock, just like you, but we cannot let her death go to waste. Shinobi die. That's the way this world works. Sakura shouldn't have died. I almost didn't believe it was possible. But she did, and we have to accept that as fact, whether we want to or not." This painfully true declaration earned her lots of incredulous glares. "Sakura was the most amazing woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and the most determined student I have ever taught. Her quick wit, bright mind, perseverance, and caring nature drew people towards her, like gravity. And her fists sent them flying away, just as fast as they came." Images of an airborne Naruto flashed through their minds and they couldn't help but smile ruefully.

Tsunade chuckled, shoulders slumping with every past tense verb she used. "She was upfront with her emotions, had quite the temper, a nack for anything she put her mind to, and an insane ability to lead without even noticing.

"She would have made a great hokage-would have been much better than I ever will be." Her fingers curled around the podium, cracking the wood beneath her. "So I beg of you: do not let Sakura's sacrifice go to waste. Mourn the loss of our friend, but pick yourselves up and live how she wanted you to. Forgive the man who took her life and build a better, stronger Konoha in her memory."

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Present day:

"And just when I was about to win too," the blond mumbled as he stalked into the hokage's office, preparing to explain just how annoyed he was with her untimely summons. He stopped before entering the room, watching her sort through stacks of papers on her desk. "Tsunade-sama."

She was dead tired. If the sluggish movements of her limbs didn't tell him, the bruises under her eyes shouted the fact. "Naruto," she said simply. He stepped into the room, still frowning. "You know hokage, I was just about to win free ramen for a month," he seethed.

Tsunade simply brushed her blond hair from her face and held out a mission scroll. When he stepped forward to grab it, he noticed that they weren't the only two in the room. A masked figure leaned against the wall to his left, somehow managing to look relaxed and on edge at the same time. Their chakra was suppressed and he couldn't sense their presence, much to his annoyance. Undoubtably an ANBU operative. They always creeped him out with their murderous intent and masked emotions, but this one was cold, distant. Ominously empty. Like they had no emotions, so they didn't have to bother masking them.

Tsunade cleared her throat and waved the scroll. He snatched it from her hand. "What's this," he demanded. He knew that he was risking a serious beating by being rude, but really... Free ramen... For a month... He'd just gotten back to Konoha after a three month long, bug stew-filled training excursion with the toad sage, and she'd gone and stolen away his once in a lifetime opportunity.

She sighed. "You can read, Naruto." The blond boy just raised his eyebrows and turned his head to look over to the motionless figure hiding in the evening shadows. "Starting to question your little spy unit's loyalty?" He smirked, refusing to read the scroll. Tsunade gave him a questioning look. "I want you to read it because I don't want to be the one to tell you." _That's not a good sign,_ Naruto thought as he huffed and unrolled the scroll.

"Sasuke is dead," he read aloud, seemingly indifferent to the news. Tsunade nodded and sighed softly, motioning for him to continue to the part about his mission. Naruto refused. "And why would I care who told me that? Why should I care if he died?" The hokage's eyes widened at his harsh tone. "He deserved it after what he did to Sakura." Tossing the scroll at Tsunade, he stormed from the room and calmly slammed the hokage's door shut behind him.

They stared at the abused door for long time before the busty blond loosed another sigh and turned to the figure in the shadow. Her eyes pleading, she asked, "why don't you tell him? He needs to know."

The figure simply stared at the hokage before pushing off the wall and stalking towards the window.

A lock of silky pink hair fell from her hood as she leaned into the cool evening breeze. "He doesn't need to know anything, hokage-sama." The masked woman shook her head at the pleading in her former master's voice. She knew Tsunade called her in so she could see Naruto again. Perhaps the hokage was even hoping to get her to rip off her ANBU mask and reveal who she was to her broken-hearted friend, like a scene in some cheesy teen romance novel.

But that would never happen. She'd seen Naruto plenty of times, and she never felt the urge to greet the boy.

"Please. Sakura, he needs to know."

The pinkette carefully tucked her hair back into her hood. "Sakura is dead."

Behind her back, the woman could sense the hokage frowning. "No, you're not. And he needs to know."

"Sakura is dead," she repeated in that unnerving monotone.

"Then who the hell are you?" Tsunade sighed. The woman's emerald eyes met her hokage's as she calmly stated, "I am Death."

Tsunade huffed and moved to stand beside her former student. Without thinking, she reached out to remove the mask covering her face, but the woman stopped her. "Hokage-sama," she warned. While she stilled her hand, she didn't remove it from the edge of the woman's mask and instead took to staring into her distant eyes, searching for a remnant of her Sakura, a sliver of the sweet, stubborn girl she used to be. She pulled her hand back when she found none.

"Sakura is dead," Tsunade whispered, finally giving up. The ANBU nodded. "But Naruto..." The pinkette didn't give her time to finish. A gloved hand snagged the mission scroll and the shadowy figure disappeared in a flash of cherry blossoms.

"But Naruto needs you," she finished lamely, closing her eyes against the breeze.

It was Death's day off and she still couldn't bring herself to take off her mask. It was stupid considering most people could figure out who she was simply by her hair, but she never cared to dye it. Ignoring the extreme heat, she pulled her hood over her head.

It was a picture. Death, alone in her room, the shades drawn, and still not able to take off her mask. It had become a part of her. A necessity, really. If she took off her mask, people would find out. They would think that Sakura was alive, and they would be mistaken.

 _It's not like they cared about her anyway. She was just the aspiring shinobi with perfect chakra control and the ability to make them feel better. They didn't like_ her _but what she could do for them. Sakura was nothing but a band aid._

Sakura died years ago. There was a death certificate, a grave, a funeral. Almost half of Konoha's available ninja had been there. But Ino hadn't gone. Neither had Naruto. Death had watched from afar. The people wailed, wishing she could come back to life, but knowing full well that the city's dearest medic would never see the sun again.

Death had her body now. Death controlled her limbs. Her actions. Her thoughts. Death had no feeling. No connections. No ties to the world. Death did not care that Sakura's passing had torn apart many souls, especially Naruto's. Death did not care that Ino had spent almost every day for the past two years crying over her best friend's grave. Death lived for one thing, and nothing would stop her from reaching her goal.

She was no longer weak like Sakura, and she no longer cared for anyone but herself. She was Death, and she lived for her name.

Naruto walked past his favorite ramen stand, completely ignoring its existence. _So what,_ he thought. _Who cares if he died?_ he had to stop himself from shouting out loud in an effort to convince himself that he really believed what he was thinking. Y _ou know you're still upset,_ a rather loud voice whispered in his head.

The shinobi shook his head wildly, earning questioning looks from the civilians around him who eventually just shrugged him off as a drunk. _I know! But I can't! I don't!_ he knew he was lying to himself but he couldn't bear the thought that he might be concerned with Sasuke's death. Not only because Sasuke had tried to destroy the village, but because he had succeeded in destroying Sakura. She was so mutilated that Naruto could only identify her by the torn gloves hanging off of what he assumed were her hands.

Sasuke deserved to die. He deserved a long, painful, torturous death. He deserved to die and go to hell a thousand times for every hair on Sakura's head he had harmed.

But still... Sasuke was Naruto's friend and a small part of him couldn't help but miss the rogue Uchiha, couldn't help but think that maybe he could still be saved.

But death had changed quite a few of Naruto's thoughts recently.

Kicking himself for overthinking things again, Naruto pulled out his keys and hastily opened the door to his apartment. It wasn't hard for him to pinpoint the exact date he had transformed from a playful, spastic, troublemaker into a reclusive, pessimistic failure of a ninja: March 19. The day he ran from something he couldn't accept.

He dropped his keys on the table and grabbed an apple, considered eating it, but ended up tossing it back in the fruit dish and pushing himself up to sit on the counter. His cloudy blue eyes strayed to the framed photo on top of the refrigerator.

"We're the only ones left now, huh Kakashi-sensei?" He whispered. The reality of it all hit him then, as he stared at a younger version of Cell 7. Even as his shoulders shook and his grip on the counter grew tight enough to hurt, he forced himself to acknowledge the truth. They were dead, Cell 7 was gone, and he wasn't the same ninja as the carefree boy in the picture.

Tears threatened to fall, but he blinked them away. Tears reminded him of Sakura, of the two clean streaks running down her bloody, mutilated face. He choked on his sigh. _A shower. I need a shower._

Without preamble, he stripped off his dark green tee and slipped his head band out of his hair. "Did I remember to buy shampoo? I hope so. I don't smell very good."

The commentary was louder than normal, drowning out his thoughts. "Yeah I did," he forced himself to chuckle. "Mom would be proud."

Closing his eyes and pushing his face under the spray of hot water he couldn't help but whisper, "are you watching, mom, dad? Can you see me? I'm getting stronger, you know. Are you proud of me? Are you seeing what's happening?"

Water filled his mouth as the blond gave up on words and began to rub soap through his shaggy hair.

 _I really need to make a new friend... And maybe get a haircut._ Naruto's eyes shot open when he felt a presence in his kitchen.

Cursing at the shampoo stinging his eyes, he hastily shook the water out of his hair, pulled on a pair of sweats and yanked the door open. While glaring accusingly at the meager belongings in his apartment, the blond made his way toward the strange chakra signal.

"You've changed," someone whispered, sitting in the same spot he had only minutes before. Her dull blue eyes surveyed the rooms before turning back to him.

 _Oh dear Lord Ino..._ "Thanks for knocking," Naruto managed, muscles relaxing and heart rate slowing at the sight of the familiar girl.

Ino turned back to the framed picture on top of his refrigerator. "Then again," she continued, completely ignoring him, "I guess we all have."

They'd both grow up since the day she died. _Who's all?_ "I learned how to clean," he smiled. Only a little, but it still counted.

She returned it, much to his relief, but as she looked at the once enthusiastic boy, her smile faded and she couldn't hold back the heavy sigh weighing on her shoulders. "I noticed... I learned medical ninjutsu."

"I learned how to cook."

"Something other than ramen?"

"Ramen with vegetables," he let a small chuckle accompany his words, hoping to cheer her up.

"Good for you. I learned how to punch stuff really hard."

"I learned that sometimes I need to shut my stupid mouth and act my age."

"We're twenty-four, Naruto. You should have learned that a while ago."

"I'm slow."

He shivered while he waited for her to reply, glancing at the neatly folded pile of clothes sitting on his bathroom counter. _I really should have put on a shirt..._

He almost didn't catch her next words, "Not anymore, Naruto."

A small thump brought his attention back to the girl in front of him and warm arms wrapped around him before he could react. "Why'd she have to go? Why'd he have to do it?" Her voice raised an octave as she tried to keep her composure. "Why'd they have to die?"

Much to both of their surprise, Naruto chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the distraught girl. "We could just go join them," he offered. The shorter blond shot out of his arms, face twisted into something somewhere between pain and horror.

After a long pause, Ino gulped out, "I'm not going where she went."

Naruto didn't have a chance to reply before the blond disappeared. His mouth frozen open, he half thought, half whispered, "What the heck does that..."

Blue eyes closed as a pained sigh fell from his lips, realizing what she meant. "I'm in the same boat, Ino..."

In the quiet of her house, Death allowed herself to read the words meant for Naruto.

NAME: UCHIHA SASUKE

AGE: 23

SEX: MALE

OCCUPATION: NUKE NIN

CAUSE OF DEATH: MULTIPLE LACERATIONS TO THE TORSO AND NECK

She skipped over the rest of the descriptions, scanned the scroll for the assignment, and realized she didn't want to do it anyway.

The hokage hadn't given her a mission in three days and Death was getting restless, but there was no way she was going to go inform the other kage of the Uchiha's death. She had taken the scroll in the hope that Tsunade had ordered Naruto to attack someone or kill Uchiha Itachi while he morned his brother's death, but no such luck. Apparently Tsunade was training Naruto to take her place.

Closing the scroll, the pinkette hopped down from her perch on the headboard of her bed and pulled her silky tresses into a low pony tail before tucking it carefully into her hood. It wasn't until after she'd jumped onto the roof that she realized she should have put in colored contacts if she really didn't want to be recognized.

She didn't have to think as her hands formed the familiar signs and her appearance altered slightly. Pink and green turned to an identical shade of brown, long lashes shortened slightly, and her now-brown hair grew long and wavy, bangs coming down from her hood to frame her mask, making it look less like a mask and more like her hair was just unnaturally pale.

It's not that she cared if Naruto found out she was alive, but after a couple encounters with some stupid people, Death had realized that it was just easier to hide her identity. Fewer questions, fewer annoying encounters with emotional acquaintances.

Her silent footsteps faltered when she sensed another presence in his room, but the chakra signature disappeared before she made it to the door. _Ino..._

Without preamble, she crept into his apartment and flared her chakra to announce her presence. Not a second later, Naruto burst out of the kitchen, shirtless and shivering, to greet his unexpected guest.

Death didn't bother to tense for a fight, as Naruto so wisely had, but choose to toss the mission scroll at his toned, tattooed stomach instead.

The blond didn't even bother to glance at the scroll. He sidestepped it and locked suspicious blue eyes on dull brown. "You're that one girl, aren't you?"

Death nodded almost imperceptibly and turned to open the door behind her. _That one girl..._

Naruto shuddered out a thanks, turning presumably to go put on more appropriate clothing.

"Did Tsunade send you?"

She stopped, her gloved hand grasping the doorknob and shook her head slightly.

The sound of rustling and light footsteps padding back to the entryway could barely be heard over the cacophony from the street below them.

"No? Why are you here then?" He didn't get an answer. "Only yes or questions?" He took a step toward her. "Do I know you?"

For a minute, she didn't know how to respond. Sakura had grown up with Naruto, trained with him, thrown him halfway across Konoha, teased him about his love of ramen, beat him up when he was stupid, fought beside him in the war...

 _Yeah, you knew her._

But Death, thought better of her reply. _I could just not reply... No I've wasted too much time to just ignore him..._ mentally, the woman sighed, but she didn't let her discomfort show.

The boy Sakura had know was long gone, and so was Sakura. In his place stood a strong, calm, hardened shinobi, one she had never met. And in her place stood an imposter who craved the scent of blood, a woman she had secretly hoped he would never have to meet.

She shook her head, unconsciously pulling open the door a crack to make her escape slightly easier, but he didn't press her further.

"Okay. Thanks."

Bounding silently down the steps, Death heard a small voice in her mind whisper, _you've changed, Naruto._

"...Shut up."

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Three months ago:

Shards of her white mask scattered across the dirt in slow motion. No longer held in place, her pink tresses slipped out to frame her unnaturally pale face. Itachi could've sworn he heard a quiet "shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit" leave her lips.

In a matter of seconds, she was on him again, her face an almost exact replica of the mask in terms of color and expressionlessness, and he would have taken a kunai in the shoulder if he was anyone other than Uchiha Itachi.

His swirling sharingan memorized the details of her face: high cheek bones, small nose, large eyes framed by long lashes, full lips, unblemished skin, but he especially took notice of the lack of life in her eyes.

 _Is she the-_ managed to cross his mind in between her relentless attacks. He figured she should be proud of herself; not many made the Uchiha work. Her hood fell off her head as she jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a strike of his own, and her short hair flipped out from its confinement, glistening strangely in the moonlight.

 _Moonlight? How long have we been-_ \- a grunt left his lips, mirroring the one from the pinkette, as he caught her fist, immediately regretting his choice when he slid backwards through the dirt, narrowly keeping his balance.

 _Perhaps I should end this,_ he thought, ignoring the pain in his hand. It'd been fun to fight with someone vaguely challenging, but he'd stopped enjoying their little battle the second he realized that she was playing around. No one played with Uchiha Itachi. Mostly because they died.

To be fair, he had also been toying with her, but he was considered the genius of his generation, and she seemed to be younger than himself and therefore far less experienced in combat, which only proved to annoy him. Why wasn't she dead yet?

He didn't have time to find an answer. A sharp pain flicked across his forearm and a few drops of blood fell to the ground. _When did she-_ his eyes widened fractionally at the feral grin plastered to her face. Her tongue slid out to lick her lips and he was too proud to admit that he began to grow concerned. _No, that's not feral. It's psychotic._

He was fighting a lunatic.

He glanced at the blond boy slumped on the ground not twenty feet to his right, sleeping blissfully in a genjutsu he would likely never get out of on his own. He'd been easy to put down; a couple minutes in to the fight the jinchuriki had looked into Itachi's eyes. Boom. Fight over.

But just as he'd turned to leave the rage-driven boy, she'd shown up with her plain white mask glowing in the evening sun and a disappointed sigh pulling at her shoulders.

Whoever the hell she was, she was pissing him off-not that he let it show.

Tsunade stood dumfounded, barely remembering to mask her chakra signature, when she watched Itachi slide a full six feet backward from the pink haired woman's punch.

No one had that much power except herself and- _No. She's dead._

It was a struggle to recall why she, the hokage, was here, the outskirts of her city, as she continued to watch the shinobis' delicate dance.

The woman seemed to realize that she couldn't beat Itachi with brute force, so she set about inflicting little bits of damage at a time and hoping she had enough stamina to wear the Uchiha out. Judging by the fluidity of her movements, Tsunade figured she might.

She didn't know how long they'd been fighting, but it'd been long enough for Naruto's blood to dry on his skin-but blood didn't take very long to dry. That was why she was outside of her city, tempting death by confronting the powerful heir to the Uchiha clan. She needed to save Naruto.

The boy was still trying to bring Sasuke back, even after raven haired rogue nin had mutilated Sakura and made it very clear he had no intention of coming back. Somewhere along the line he'd decided that if he could find Itachi, he could lure Sasuke out of hiding.

As much as she admired his devotion to his friend, Naruto was becoming increasingly suicidal, which had become a problem for her and a security risk for Konoha. If Naruto died, nine tails would rampage again.

Feet shifting silently on the branch, Tsunade watched the Leaf nin go head to head with Itachi, waiting for her chance to grab Naruto and run.

"I swear to kami, boy," she whispered silently. "You're more trouble than you're worth these days."

The hokage nearly jumped when both shinobi turned to glance at her before deeming her unworthy of their attention.

"Hokage-sama," came a slightly winded, melodic voice. (Kami... She even sounds like Sakura...) "You can just take Naruto. Itachi doesn't care." _No honorific?_ the hokage questioned, surprised at the ninja's lack of formality toward her opponent.

Surprisingly, Itachi grunted in affirmation of the woman's words. Before Tsunade allowed herself to accept this, she tried to remove the genjutsu she was sure she'd been trapped in to no avail. Either it was a really good genjutsu or Itachi didn't come to steal Naruto.

Deciding to trust her shinobi and taking Itachi's word just this once, Tsunade warily leapt out of the tree and ran to Naruto, swinging him over her shoulder and bolting for the village to send help out for the ANBU.

A loud thud turned her attention back to the fight. She looked in time to watch the woman yank her foot out of a hole in the ground, right where Itachi had stood only a split second before, and turn to swing at him once more.

Tsunade stopped to stare for a second. This woman had Uchiha Itachi on his toes, a task she was sure she'd struggle with.

As the pinkette grazed the rogue nin's face with her fist, all the while avoiding eye contact, Itachi brought his fist to her gut. She didn't have enough time to twist away, but somehow she managed not to fall completely to the ground. Gurgling noises passed through her lips and everyone there knew Itachi had punctured a lung.

Tsunade grimaced when she saw the blood dripping down the woman's chin.

Then she smiled. Her pale, pink-framed face perked up, her eyes opened wide, and her mouth curved at the corners.

Both Tsunade suppressed a shiver.

Picking herself up off the ground, the pinkette turned to Itachi, flashing him yet another wild smile. The ANBU choked out, "again, Ita...chi," before her body threw itself into a coughing fit and she disappeared from sight, leaving cherry blossoms in her place.

Tsunade took it as her cue to leave. _She looks just like her... And her voice... But that smile was..._ Tsunade shook her head, sending her slightly off balance as she carried the unconscious boy back to Konoha. _It wasn't her. Stop looking, stop seeing, stop thinking. She's gone._

Ino snapped to attention when the bell to her shop rang, immediately straightening and shooting her customer a bright smile. It faded when she saw the a mostly whole Naruto limp through the door. She stared at him blankly when he offered her a sheepish grin. "Dobe."

He laughed, clutching his ribs involuntarily. "Maybe. I guess I over estimated my skills."

"Huh." Ino turned back to her previous task, slouching on her stool and lazily arranging flowers for some random couple's wedding.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto slowly leaned over the counter, making suggestions that she shot down without a thought. "That one means sorrow," she scoffed. "I'm not going to ruin their wedding with the wrong kind of flowers, dobe."

"But they're pretty."

"I'm pretty. That doesn't mean I should post nude pictures of myself in a daycare," she retorted, reverting back to her normal, narcissistic self.

A warm smile spread across his face. Ino missed it.

"So..." The blond boy started again, pulling his elbows off the counter and throwing his arms over his head into a painful stretch. "I'll see you later then, Ino."

Barely acknowledging his farewell, she hunched over the binder of flowers pretending to work while her mind strayed far from the world of the living.

Jiraya turned toward the tall blond shinobi approaching him, noting sadly that the only color he was wearing came from the hokage's necklace. _Where did that ugly orange jumpsuit go?_

"Let's go," Naruto nodded as he stopping in front of his former sensei. "Send me to the toads."

Chuckling, Jiraya couldn't help but tease, "you sure you don't want to bring some instant ramen along with you?" Naruto shuddered. The last time he did that to try and avoid eating bugs every meal every day for months on end, the toads took offense. And then they took their offense out on him. For a week straight, he thanked kami the kyuubi allowed him to heal faster than a normal person.

"No. Let's go."

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Two years one week ago:

Eyes fluttered open, breath passed through cracked lips, a heart began to beat again. Fingers twitched, dirt flaked off chipped nails, feeling returned to a broken body. Silent rain fell all around her, loosening the clothing stuck to her skin by... _Blood?_ Tentatively, she raised her arm and watched as the curse mark-like tattoos faded from her skin.

Pain shot through the wall of numbness protecting her nerves. _I guess it's mine...?_

END OF CHAPTER ONE! You like?

Thank you for reading! I hope you like.

All the POV shifts and the various back stories may be a little hard to follow at times, so I apologize if this is slightly confusing but I promise it'll all fit together in a bit :p

Regarding the narration, everyone will be in third person but Death/Sakura will occasionally be in first (b/c it's fun to get in her head). This story takes place after Naruto saves the world, but Itachi is alive, Sasuke is still evil, a few people who died may have been resurrected to fit my purposes, and a few who were alive at the end of Naruto have been killed off. I like to kill people, so be ready for depressing xD

As for ages in the present day...

Naruto: 24

Sasuke: 22

Death/Sakura: 23

Ino: 24

I haven't decided the ages for anyone else... I'll add some more to the list when I figure out who's going to show up again. Also, I HATE Sasuke, so that might come across in the way I portray him... If you don't like broody, cruel, narcissistic renditions of the pretty Uchiha, you might not like this story, but I feel like he was a butt in the original too... so... deal with it... Anyway, thanks for reading. Reviews and criticism always help :)


	2. Chapter 2: Death

**I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't sure people would like this... Thank you so much! xD I realized I had markers between sections and then I accidentally deleted them so whoops. But it's up so I'm not gonna change it. And this chapter is really short, sorry!**

 **Oh and I forgot to mention I don't own Naruto. In case you were wondering ;p Just so we're clear: Sakura died two years one week ago and the funeral was two years ago.**

...

One year six months ago:

"Sakura," he shouted, grabbing my arm and spinning me to face him. The people around us got annoyingly quiet as they eavesdropped on our one-sided conversation. I let him catch his breath before I jerked out of his grip-only to turn right into a wall of fluff.

 _...a dog...?_

"Atta boy!" The wild looking man spun me around again, trapping me between him and his massive pet. _That's rather ineffective._ "Sakura," he started, reaching to pull off my mask, but he thought better of revealing an ANBU's identity in public and dropped his hand to my shoulder. "Is that really you?" Or maybe he was scared he was bugging the wrong person. It was Kiba after all; when he tried, he could be considerate.

I remembered how much Sakura had liked the boy once he had finally grown up. Even I couldn't blame her. When he cooled his head, Kiba wasn't excessively annoying.

Unless he was tugging at your sleeve like a lost child, begging you to be someone he knew was dead. _I bet he's pretty with blood on his face..._ a mischievous voice whispered.

I just shrugged off his arms, turning to leave once again. Probably wouldn't be good to make him bleed on civilian streets. Then I'd get another lecture from the hokage.

 _And that would be... Troublesome...?_ The voice smirked, proud of itself for recalling one of Sakura's broken memories.

They were still there, the memories that is. Hiding in the mind I possessed. When she died, it was like she left them there just for me, and I wasn't entirely sure what to do with them. She had been so emotionally attached to anything and everything that lived, and I'm... not.

It was like fighting against myself at first, willing the foreign memories out of my head. I was Death-am Death. I didn't care to see endless clips of her looking at the dark haired boy, bleary eyed and crying, begging him to stay and screaming when he didn't.

Sakura was weak. Annoying. Pathetic. She deserved to die.

But her body... The strength I gained because of her... It was almost enough to please me.

"It's me! Kiba! Remember? Is that you?"

When I refused to answer, his hand shot back up to my face and he ripped off my mask. I watched as it dropped from his fingers, shattering on the ground. _Clearly he has no qualms about revealing top secret identities..._

Maybe he'd changed since Sakura saw him last.

I couldn't help but wonder as I watched the pieces scatter through the dirt, _Why do all of you break my masks?_ Every time my mask came off, someone decided to drop it. Maybe they were shocked to see Sakura, but who were they expecting, really? Bright pink hair, tattered gloves... If they were brave enough to rip a stranger's mask off, shouldn't they have been brave enough to see the stranger's face?

His face froze in the middle of his cry of triumph. Tentatively he whispered, "It is you." Then louder, his eyes widening and incredulously staring into my own, "Sakura? You're alive?" Strong arms wrapped around me in an embrace I did not return. I focused on keeping a strait face. _You smell like dog._

"Where were you? How are you here? We thought you were dead!" He shot out questions rapid fire, never giving me the chance to answer him. Not that I would have anyway.

 _She is. Get off._

Physical contact, I had found, made me very uncomfortable. People are just so... _warm._ It's revolting.

I opened my mouth to repeat the three word mantra I had adopted since I took over this body only to have said mouth filled with dog hair as the large creature rammed into me. Without a second thought, I shoved it off and watched as it toppled onto it's back and let out a yelp of surprise. It squirmed like a worm as it tried to get back up. _Pathetic ninja dog._

"Sakura is dead."

For a second, they froze. Then Kiba came after me again as I began to walk away. "But aren't you Sak-"

I didn't let him spin me around this time. Instead my elbow came up to great his face. _I hope there's blood..._ whispered a hungry voice in my head. A preemptive smile crept across my lips before I turned to see how much damage I had caused.

It only grew bigger as I watched him fall back grasping at his nose, blood trickling into his mouth. "What the?! Sakura what the he-" he seemed to lose his voice when he looked up at me.

"Sakura is dead," I repeated quietly.

I reached down to wipe some of the blood off his face, grinning in delight as it trickled down my hand, leaving a crimson trail across my fingers. Eventually I looked back up to find he hadn't moved since he fell, but instead he graced me with a delicious look of horror.

 _I want to see more..._ the voice was growing louder, spurred on by the sight of blood. My grin spread until it hurt. I loved to listen to the voice.

My foot met his face in a moment of what could be considered poor judgement. _That's it..._ the voice hissed. _Just like that..._ All inhibitions flew out the window as the voice egged me on. I brought my foot down on his chest, hearing a pleasing crack and a chorus of screams from all around.

A smaller, quieter voice tried to get me to stop and at least notice that I was in the middle of a civilian street, but I didn't have it in me to listen anymore. I was Death, and I loved blood.

...

Naruto watched from the gate as Ino knelt in front of the grave. She traced the kanji of Sakura's name, her fingers skimming the caption: _Friend, family, student, and teacher_. Ino's shoulders hunched over and she slowly set the flowers on the dull concrete slab.

 _Ino's brave,_ he thought, feeling a pang of guilt at his inability to step through the gate. Ino was the only one who still came to visit. She'd spend a few minutes telling Sakura all the newest gossip before her throat closed up and tears threatened to fall, and then she'd simply sit in silence, lost in thought. Pondering life beside her dead friend.

And Naruto would wait by the gate, never finding the courage to go inside.

...

 **I feel bad beating up Kiba. I actually like him. Which means I didn't kill him (sighs)...**

 **And one of my friends asked me if Sakura is actually dead so... Yes... She's dead... You know that tiny voice inside Death's head that told her to stop beating the crap out of Kiba in the middle of the street? Yeah, that one's called Common Sense. Sakura's dead.**

 **I actually think Sakura would have accepted her death and been all "be happy, people. I love you." Like in this poem that you don't actually have to read but I love it so share the love:**

When I'm Gone  
by Mrs. Lyman Hancock

When I come to the end of my journey  
And I travel my last weary mile  
Just forget if you can, that I ever frowned  
And remember only the smile

Forget unkind words I have spoken  
Remember some good I have done  
Forget that I ever had heartache  
And remember I've had loads of fun

Forget that I've stumbled and blundered  
And sometimes fell by the way  
Remember I have fought some hard battles  
And won, ere the close of the day

Then forget to grieve for my going  
I would not have you sad for a day  
But in summer just gather some flowers  
And remember the place where I lay

And come in the shade of evening  
When the sun paints the sky in the west  
Stand for a few moments beside me  
And remember only my best

 **Anyway, I'll be back once school's out. Jaa ne.**


	3. Chapter 3

**My nephew left his stuffed lamb on my couch and I thought it was a screaming ghost mushroom.**

...

Present day (well... Present night):

His head dropped to his hands, his fingers digging into his scalp as he let out an exasperated growl. _It was a dream, dobe. Just a dream._ "I should go back to bed." Silence.

"My feet are cold." He shifted in his seat. "And I need to fix the lock on my door." Silence.

He sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose in response to the putrid stench hanging in the air. "I think my fruit rotted." Silence.

Naruto raised his head to glance around the dimly lit room. In the hallway by the door sat a single chair, painted an ugly pink, the color barely perceptible in the moonlight. On it lay the next edition of his ex sensei's porn series. Directly in front of him was his long forgotten television and the coffee table he'd chosen to carve every time he was overwhelmed. Needless to say, the poor thing looked like it'd been mauled by a family of raccoons.

"I probably should find a new table." Silence.

Naruto shifted again, resting his arms on the arm rests and dropping his feet onto the table with two loud _thuds._ "And maybe Ino could give me some flowers so this place wouldn't look so dead," he continued, hoping she'd catch his suggestive tone. Silence greeted him yet again.

A deep sigh rattled in his lungs. _Why're you ignoring me?_ Risking a beating, he dared to glance to his left at his worn couch and the narcissistic blonde laying on top. Thankfully she'd rolled over in a vain attempt to ignore him. Maybe it would give him a head start when she came after him. "It's none of my business, but when did you start wearing clothing to sleep?" Silence. _She's going to kill me..._ "I thought you liked to sleep nude in case someone attacked you." Silence.

"Did you realize its really conceited to think that a ninja who's attacking you might get distracted by your body?" Silence. _Come on. React._ "I can't really judge too much considering I used my pervy jutsu to confuse people when I'm fighting." Silence. _Talk to me, you jerk._

Naruto wasn't giving up. He really needed a distraction, and if the blond was going to randomly appear and crash on his couch, she was going to distract him so he didn't have to sleep.

He couldn't help but stare at her silky blond hair cascading over her shoulders and down the side of his couch. She was gorgeous, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Naruto figured that if he'd had a sister, she would've looked a lot like Ino. _But she'd be nicer, and I'd never let her sleep over at a guy's house, and she'd probably be smarter than me... Maybe she'd have half the Kyuubi... And maybe she'd become the hokage... No, I wouldn't let her do that... I'd never let her be ANBU either 'cause that'd ruin her sunny disposition..._

He sighed again. _And here I am dreaming about a family I promised myself I'd never have._ Originally he had wanted to grow up, fall in love, have kids, and raise them as the proud children of the hokage. He'd give them a much better childhood than he'd had. But so many people he had known died in the last war, and many others in the years following as the villages began to repair their relations with each other. He didn't want to lose someone dear to him again, so he'd resolved to never get that close to anyone anymore.

His head fell back into his hands and he leaned his elbows on his knees. The chair below him creaked and moaned under his weight. Annoyance was written in the small girl's posture, and he knew she wasn't sleeping despite the fact that she was so obviously trying. _But aren't I getting closer to Ino? She IS sleeping in my apartment... For kami's sake... Why am I so inept at life?_

Drunken shouts could be heard from the street below, and he tried to focus on them in an attempt to drown out his thoughts. If he was hearing correctly... Some guy was shouting at his... Girlfriend?... Saying something about never leaving her... That he'd quit being a ninja to be with her...

 _Huh,_ he chuckled. _I don't think that will work very well. Once you're in, you're stuck, buddy._ Being a ninja was a way of life, and even if you wanted to quit, what was the point? Your friends would still be out there, fighting for their lives without you. It was better for your mental state to be right alongside them where you could keep them safe.

Suddenly his mood plummeted again, remembering why he couldn't sleep in the first place. _Where I can protect them... Ha. What crap am I telling myself? My friends are dead regardless._

He spared a glance at Ino. _She's not dead._ From the little she'd told him, apparently she'd gone to a bar to celebrate Shikimaru's birthday, had taken a bet, lost, got very intoxicated, and used what was left of her better judgement to get to his house instead of going home to argue with her mother. It seemed like she did this quite often.

 _Are we friends though?_ Naruto couldn't help but wonder if Ino went to him now in situations where she would have relied on her best friend had she still been alive.

 _I wonder if she ever did this to Sakur-_ he stopped short, head snapping up and hair flipping dramatically in the process. "You shouldn't drink so much," he panicked, saying the first thing that came to his head.

Her name was taboo.

Ino was supposed to distract him from thinking about his dream; his subconscious had decided to recall the many ways he failed the pinkeye. So far she wasn't doing a very good job.

...

 _Blood dripped from the tips of her fingers. He watched it run down her arms and soak into her skin. She froze, he froze, but nothing around them bothered to stop. Blue met green as tears streamed down her face._

 _Their eyes locked onto each other, and he saw her pain and fear, and he knew who put it there._ Me. I did that. _That was why she was standing in front of him, bleeding from wounds he couldn't see._ I couldn't bring him back. _Sakura had tried to find Sasuke, and it hadn't ended well._ This is my fault.

 _Her eyes began to flicker, and he watched the lights dim as she began to sway._

 _"Sa... Sakura!" He yelled, unable to catch her when she fell. Pink hair turned crimson and he screamed her name again, fearing for the broken medic who had stolen his heart so long ago. She smiled. And dammit he couldn't control the quickening beat of his heart._

 _"Sorry," she coughed, trying to push herself up off the ground. "I'm not good enough for him." She fell back down, her arms spasming uncontrollably. Dirt mixed with the blood caking on her body._

 _For a minute, Naruto's brain stopped working. When it came back on all he could think was "what?" Was she trying to say that it was her fault Sasuke hadn't come back? Or maybe that it was her fault he had left in the first place? Because she hadn't been_ good enough _for the damn Uchiha?_

 _"Sakura?" He called. He regained control of his limbs and knelt beside her broken form. "Sakura, it's okay. I'm here." Slowly his hands combed back her blood caked hair revealing the two clean streaks running down her face._

 _He started to say something but she cut him off with a series of wet, choking hiccups. His heart twisted painfully. "Stay with me, Sakura-chan." Panic laced his voice._ Dammit don't you dare die on me!

 _She visibly flinched at his endearment and he tried to ignore the stable pain he felt at her reaction. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto," she sobbed out. He couldn't tell if she was crying from physical pain or from the betrayal she felt at the Uchiha's lack of concern for her life._

 _"Don't be sorry," he chided. "There's nothing to be sorry for. We'll get you home and Tsunade will heal you and everything will be alright."_ I love you, Sakura. Don't die. _A bright smile flashed across his face, but more tears streamed down hers in response._

 _"It's my fault," she whispered, catching him off guard by wrapping his hand in her own and bringing it to his chest. "I let you down."_

 _What?_

 _He didn't have a chance to process what she had said before her body went limp in his arms. He was sure his screams could be heard for miles._

 _..._

It was unrealistic to blame himself for her death and he knew it. Even the dream was unrealistic. She hadn't had the seal on her forehead in the dream, but it was there when she died. If she'd chosen to activate it she wouldn't be dead.

Naruto hadn't been there, and she hadn't wanted him to be. But still... _If I'd brought him back before, then she wouldn't have gone after him._

And he wouldn't have killed her.

And she wouldn't have let him.

 _And the rest of us wouldn't have had to deal with this..._ _whatever this is._

"Ino," he mumbled through his fingers. "Wake up."

The blond didn't respond.

"Please." It came out as a whisper-a barely audible plea. "I'm slipping."

Silence.

"Iiiiiiiiiinnnooooooooooo. Wakey wakey! The sun's coming up!" Kami knows that was a lie. It might have been midnight at the earliest.

He jumped a full foot in the air when she _growled_ at him, "Naruto. If you don't shut the hell up, I'll rip out your tongue and shove it down your throat." Was it wrong of him to believe she would? Probably not. But he spoke anyway.

Forced enthusiasm escaped his mouth before he could think. "Well good morning sunshine!"

Ino shot up, spun around, and somehow had her hand around his throat before he could even move.

"Naruto," she snarled in his face. _Wow her eyes are bloodshot._ "Shut the hell up." That's when he noticed the two wet streaks running down her perfect face.

And he wisely shut the hell up.

...

 **That was pretty short but I'm sick so don't judge. Thanks for reading, I always love reviews. See ya later peeps.**


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